For some reason I was reminded the other day of my of very early nursing days and one of my most unusual encounters with a patient.

(Of course I will remain as vague as possible for anonymity purposes, but I think you’ll get the drift.)

Once upon a time on a surgical unit of a hospital it was coming upon the midnight hour. The bells and whistles of alarms and call lights were quietening down and the nurses were tucking into their respective spots to begin the daunting task of documenting about their patients for the evening. Things were becoming quite calming for once. It was a Sunday, and everyone knew that Sundays were either one extreme or the other on a surgery floor. You’d either benefit from the well done recoveries of the previous week that had gone home, those that were resting up peacefully and about to go home, or you’d have the other extreme – a crazy load of unpredictable disasters. But this one night was neither. This is the night a gentleman had, we will say – a foreign object in an undesirable place.

It was an interesting case, seeing that that he understandably waited days (attempting to remove said object himself) before succumbing to the fact he needed a professional. The surgeons scurried about- studied X-Rays and scans, dictating notes, trying to decide the safest and best route to remove the object. It was finally determined that he would need surgery, and promptly, because of his wait to seek medical attention and risk of perforation to internal organs. It was decided he’d have it scheduled the next day.

The next morning, just prior to transport to the OR, a miraculous thing happened. The object was removed – by the patient. The doctors refused to believe it, thinking his fear of surgery the culprit of his lie. Nope. Proof was obtained, surgery was cancelled, and the patient went home with colon (and object) intact. Another story with had a happy ending.

The happy ending was because of the patient’s own determination though. (Not that I would ever, ever recommend this to a patient)

I won’t get into too many details, but for those that may be unaware, there is a certain suction that happens in the digestive area. Sort of a point of no return almost. When you pass this point, the anatomy of the digestive tract may cause things (such as an object) to get lodged.

FYI- this was not a unique case and happens more frequently than one might think. The only unusual aspect was waiting so long to seek treatment and the successful removal of object without intervention.

I know it’s a bizarre comparison, and twisted for those not in the medical field, but the point is I feel like we too can get pulled into Satan’s vortex. We do, say, and allow things into our mind, body, and spirit that puts us on the verge of getting sucked in. Once pulled so far, the deeper you go, it becomes much riskier and more difficult to climb out.

Things like meditating on The Word, and steering clear of triggering factors – whether it be TV shows, books, certain songs are my only solace and hope of not going back there.

Inevitably, if you don’t stay diligent, you can find yourself right back into a dark, undesirable colon of the devil.

There’s always a way out. There’s always a light to see, but if you allow yourself to get sucked in so far – be prepared to deal with some crap when you have to dig yourself back out.

Thanks. I debated on this one a lot due to the sensitivity some might have to such a topic but I couldn’t let it go not published. It seemed too fitting (with a little twisted humor for those who have a sense of it) 🙂